Gutierrez goes after Rubio on immigration

By Scott Wong

06/15/11 06:49 PM EDT

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) haven't met before. But Gutierrez, one of the House's most passionate pro-immigration advocates, is getting personal with the freshman tea-party senator, labeling him an "extremist" and saying his Cuban-born parents benefitted from the same type of "generous" immigration policies that Rubio opposes.

"I can't think of a more generous immigration policy than the one his parents benefitted from," Gutierrez, a liberal from Chicago of Puerto Rican descent, told POLITICO on Wednesday. "All they had to do was show up."

Gutierrez comments came just a day after Rubio delivered a lofty maiden speech on the Senate floor in which he extolled the greatness of America, a country that gave a new start to his parents, exiles who fled from Cuba in the 1950s.

"I come from a hard-working and humble family. One that was neither wealthy nor connected," Rubio said. "Yet I’ve always considered myself to be a child of privilege because growing up I was blessed with two very important things: I was raised by a strong and stable family. And I was blessed to be born here in the United States of America. ...

"It is the story of a bartender and a maid in Florida. Today their son serves here in the Senate, and stands as a proud witness of the greatness of this land."

Gutierrez has heard Rubio give variations of that speech before, and he agrees with the message. But he's baffled why the young senator continues to back tough immigration policies while opposing the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to legalization for young illegal immigrants who go to college or join the military.

"[Here's] a man whose family has benefitted, who's here because of the generosity of our immigration system, the welcoming of our immigration system," said Gutierrez, who’s embarked on a nationwide tour promoting the DREAM Act. "So I just think that's a darn shame."

Rubio's office offered a defense of his immigration policies.

"Senator Rubio is doing what seems to be a novel idea to some in Washington: he’s firmly upholding the campaign promises he made to Floridians," Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos said in a statement. "Whether it was in town halls or even a Univision debate, as a candidate, Senator Rubio repeatedly and consistently stressed border security and E-Verify would be his immediate priorities to ensure that America is not the only nation on earth that doesn’t enforce its immigration laws.

"Whether it’s immigration, the debt or any other issue, Senator Rubio will not be breaking the promises he made to Floridians."

Rubio has dismissed the DREAM Act as “blanket amnesty” for illegal immigrants.

America's Voice blasted a news release Wednesday titled: "Marco Rubio Sells out Hispanic Community." The group is fired up over Rubio's support for a plan by House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that would require employers to use an electronic system to check the immigration status of their workers.

“Marco Rubio has become a go-along Washington insider overnight," said Lynn Tramonte, deputy director of America’s Voice. "By championing mandatory E-Verify, the big government program with a 50 percent fail rate, Rubio has thrown Hispanics under the bus in order to cozy up to anti-immigrant ‘leaders’ in Congress like Sen. Grassley and Rep. Lamar Smith. ...

"The fact that Marco Rubio put his name on this bill shows that he just doesn’t get it. He is incapable of being a real bridge to the Latino community for the GOP."